Three people have been confirmed dead and two others wounded after several gunmen began taking victims hostage in Mali, West Africa this morning.
The men reportedly raided the Radisson Blu Hotel in Bamako around 7 a.m. and immediately began firing off at patrons as they ran through the seven-story building. An unconfirmed 170 people were believed to be in the hotel - guests and employees included - but by noon at least 80 of them were freed. The hotel's website has stated the following: "ACCORDING TO OUR LATEST INFORMATION 124 GUESTS AND 13 EMPLOYEES ARE STILL IN THE BUILDING. OUR HIGHEST CONCERN IS THE SAFETY OF ALL OUR GUESTS AND EMPLOYEES IN THE HOTEL. WE ARE IN CONSTANT CONTACT WITH THE AUTHORITIES THERE AND WILL SHARE FURTHER INFORMATION WITH YOU WHEN WE HAVE IT."
Several sources have confirmed the suspects are Islamists who were letting people go if they could recite verses from the Koran. Several tourists have been rescued by their respective countries, including but not limited to the United States, Turkey, China and France. Those killed include two Malian nationals and a French national while two security personnel are listed wounded, according to a United Nations official.
Stay tuned for the latest developments.
